Diversity Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios announced the launch of The Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios Storytellers Lab, an initiative designed to create partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to cultivate diverse creator pipelines within the entertainment industry.

K.J. Yossman Author and screenwriter Giles Paley-Phillips is launching a new film production company called Eight Digits.

Katcy Stephan Actor and director Jack Huston is adding “podcast producer” to his resume. Huston will executive produce “Time Capsule: The Silver Chain,” a new podcast out Feb.

Ethan Shanfeld Young the Giant frontman Sameer Gadhia has teamed with SiriusXM to launch the new podcast “Point of Origin,” which is “dedicated to amplifying voices of color from around the world while challenging the homogenous narrative in alternative and indie rock music.” Brittany Howard, former singer of Alabama Shakes, will appear as the podcast’s first guest to discuss her latest solo studio effort, “What Now.” Each episode of “Point of Origin,” which is available on the SiriusXM app, will explore the lives and careers of musicians of color and include a fully curated “life playlist” full of the guest’s favorite songs. The podcast stems from Gadhia’s radio show of the same name, which aired on SiriusXM’s Alt Nation.

Holly Jones Amongst a slate of auspicious Brazilian films and series featuring in Berlin, “Cidade; Campo”– the latest from arthouse helmer Juliana Rojas – saw its world premiere on Monday, screening as part of the Encounters strand that aims “to foster aesthetically and structurally daring works from independent, innovative filmmakers,” according to the fest. Backed by Brazil’s Dezenove Som e Imagem and Globo Filmes in tandem with France’s Good Fortune Films and Germany’s Sutor Kolonko, the loosely mystical narrative tells two disparate relocation stories fused by longing, grief and a rousing aesthetic.

Siddhant Adlakha A loose adaptation of absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros,” director Amos Gitai’s “Shikun” unfolds in a multi-use housing project, where it follows the stream-of-consciousness travails of a diverse cross-section of characters in Be’er-Sheva, Israel. Bound by the French-language narration of Irène Jacob — a one-woman Greek chorus and de-facto liaison between sides of the fourth wall — the film embodies the struggle to reconcile learned anger with calls for peace, and it takes several steps to the left of the distant, “kumbaya” observationalism of some of Gitai’s previous work (like “Tramway in Jerusalem”).

Tiana DeNicola editor Ludwig Göransson takes audiences on a captivating journey behind the creation of “Can You Hear the Music,” the theme from the award-winning film “Oppenheimer.” Göransson’s ability to weave together diverse musical elements while maintaining a cohesive narrative shines through in this timeless piece. By delving into “Can You Hear the Music,” Göransson reveals his meticulous approach to capturing the essence of the film’s themes and characters. Inspired by the profound complexity of J.

Police have urged people to stay away from a river in Leicester as the search continues for a missing two-year-old boy.

Naman Ramachandran Film production and distribution company KRG Studios is teaming with acclaimed filmmaker Anjali Menon on a Tamil-language feature film. Menon’s London Film School graduation short “Black Nor White” (2002), starring Archie Panjabi (“The Good Wife”) and Rez Kempton (“The Mummy”), won the BFI award at the Palm Springs film festival. Her directing credits include “Manjadikuru” (2008), “Bangalore Days” (2014), “Koode” (2018) and most recently “Wonder Women” (2022).

Marta Balaga As the Berlinale Series Market celebrates its 10th anniversary, series continue to stand “side by side” with films at the German fest, observes EFM director Dennis Ruh. “BSM continues to be a beacon for all aspects of serialized content, even in years where space feels tighter with less films and series, giving selected titles more exposure,” he says, mentioning a “vibrant influx” of international professionals eager to showcase their shows.

Christopher Vourlias The fight for diversity and inclusion takes center stage at this year’s European Film Market, which will host a day-long event Feb. 20 as part of a concerted, pan-European effort to open more doors in the continent’s screen industries.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s suspense drama “Hysteria” offers a timely look at Germany’s diverse West Asian community and the subtle racism and hypocrisy that often permeates liberal discourse about immigrants and foreign cultures. “Hysteria” centers on a provocative film being shot by a Turkish-German director about racist arson attacks on German migrant residences in the 1990s. When a Quran goes up in flames during the shoot, the Arab extras on set are outraged, resulting in a set fraught with tension.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Despite being significantly hit by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, U.K. film studios and production facilities are looking to pick back up where they left off after a record-breaking year for film and high-end television production spend in 2022. When asked what the industry can expect in terms of business in the year ahead, Samantha Perahia, head of production U.K.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor In the history of Black leading actresses at prestigious award shows, Halle Berry’s triumph for “Monster’s Ball” at the Oscars stands prominently, while the BAFTAs lack a similar honoree, and the upcoming Sunday ceremony seems unlikely to change that. This year’s roster of lead actress nominees boasts a diverse array of talents.

When Ollie met Erika while working together at an Amazon warehouse in Bolton, he was immediately smitten.

After nearly three decades, the X-Men are suiting up again in X-Men ’97.

EXCLUSIVE: BBC Director General Tim Davie has acknowledged “antisemitic behavior by people who worked with us” in an all-staff note that attempts to rebuild relations with Jewish staffers.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief In January, when Netflix unveiled its slate of Chinese-language original productions for 2024, all of them turned out to be Taiwanese. Not Chinese. And not from Hong Kong, a territory that once produced over 300 movies a year in multiple Chinese dialects.

feisty press conference, the Berlin Film Festival is about to get even more political with a demonstration defending democracy that will be held right before the start of opening night festivities. Berlinale organizers have planned this demonstration to highlight their decision to disinvite members of the far right political party AfD. “By disinviting the AfD, the Berlinale has clearly positioned itself against the right wing extremism in Germany.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Simu Liu’s hosting reel keeps on growing. The “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star’s past hosting gigs include the Time 100 gala and the Junos. He also hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2021 and has guest-hosted “Jimmy Kimmy Live!” Now, he’s taking the reins of the People’s Choice Awards.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Leading German media groups have blasted government plans to overhaul the country’s film funding system. Germany’s commissioner for culture and media (BKM), Claudia Roth, Tuesday presented her wide-ranging reform plans ahead of the start of this year’s Berlin Film Festival. The wide-ranging overhaul aims to make German film funding simpler, more efficient and more transparent.

Volunteers divers found the body of a missing dad in less than an hour after a police search that lasted for five weeks.

BBC Countryfile viewers have slammed the show following a 'woke' episode - claiming there's a 'lack of balance'.

It's Musicals Week on Dancing on Ice, where viewers will see the celebrities and their professional skating partners perform routines to some hit tunes from the stage. The remaining nine contestants will attempt to impress the judges to soundtracks from the likes of Moulin Rouge, Sunset Boulevard, Little Shop of Horrors and Matilda.

Selome Hailu Tensions were high on an ABC panel at the Television Critics Association’s winter 2024 press tour, during which the three showrunners were asked about the racial issues often present in unscripted television. “Bachelor” executive producers Jason Ehrlich, Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner appeared caught off guard when NPR journalist Eric Deggans brought up multiple controversies surrounding the treatment of the franchise’s Black cast members, saying, “During Matt James’ season, you had a controversy that led to Chris Harrison leaving the show.

. Breathe the cool, rarified air, it’s the last week of Aquarius season. Building on themes of constructive collaboration, Mars, the planet of action, heads into Aquarius on Tuesday, backed up by Venus on Friday.

Tatiana Siegel Alyssa Sutherland was 15 years old when she was discovered by a modeling scout in her native Australia. As soon as the 5’11” strawberry blonde finished high school at the age of 17, she moved to New York and began traveling the world on high-end fashion assignments before settling in Los Angeles to focus on acting. Although she found success in both professions as a go-to face for Chanel and Bulgari and as Queen Aslaug in the hit TV series “Vikings,” she endured her share of humiliations.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a trend with studios, networks, and streamers canceling series that feature Black leads. They’ve also been letting go of executives who were hired to ensure there were more diverse actors and creators being hired.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Media talent discovery app Husslup has moved from invite-only beta phase to a public launch of its service. The app, which allows allows media industry users a database to find above- and below-the-line freelancers for hire, has also introduced a demographic report of hires for companies to achieve their diversity goals.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Margot Robbie, lead actor and producer of “Barbie,” is to be awarded the AACTA Trailblazer Award next month by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Hailing originally from Queensland, the presentation will be a homecoming of sort for Robbie. The award will be presented to her at the 2024 AACTA Awards Ceremony on Feb.

Leo Pearlman I am Leo Pearlman, born in Sunderland, living in London. I am a partner at production company Fulwell 73, where we make content including “Carpool Karaoke” and “Cinderella.” I am a husband, a father, a son and a brother. But I know that even today in some parts of the world there are those who would define me simply as: Jew.

here – applications close March 15.Recent successes from the studio includes an alumnus who received a Grammy for her contribution to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ ‘Unholy’. Current scholarship recipient Leah Morris has worked with Mahalia and Stormzy alongside her participation in the course.A post shared by Abbey Road Studios (@abbeyroadstudios)“Abbey Road strongly values the importance of creating opportunities that encourage greater diversity within the recording and music industries,” said Sally Davies, managing director at Abbey Road Studios.

A primary school that hasn't been inspected for nearly 14 years because it was ‘outstanding’ has been reassessed and has retained its superlative status. Ofsted inspectors visited Seymour Park Community Primary School in Old Trafford at the beginning of December.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Brazil’s giant media conglom Globo and Spain’s Atresmedia International, the overseas arm of top commercial broadcaster Atresmedia, have renewed their strategic pact for another five years, in which Atresmedia delivers Globo telenovelas, series and mini-series across Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market.

Choosing where to live can be a difficult decision. There are so many factors to consider - from house prices and transport links, to local amenities and future investment and development in the area.

Ginnifer Goodwin played the role of Snow White on the ABC series Once Upon a Time for seven seasons and now she’s weighing in on Disney’s upcoming live-action remake.